Several recent studies have shown that low vitamin D levels are tied to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. With statistics showing that three out of four Americans are not getting enough vitamin D in their diet, many people can benefit from taking this issue seriously.

One survey measured vitamin D levels from the same patients for up to 12 years. Compared to everyone in the study, the quarter with the lowest vitamin D levels had a 40% higher risk of dying from heart attacks, strokes, and other heart-related events.

The survey also delivered an additional variable that darker skinned people produce less vitamin D from sunlight than those with lighter skin tones; revealing that African-Americans are more likely than whites to die from heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.

In another recent study, conducted in order to examine the racial disparity in cardiovascular death, researchers analyzed data from a national health and nutrition survey that included more than 15,000 people; and found that African-Americans were 38% more likely to die from these heart-related events than non-Hispanic whites due to their lower vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D can be naturally produced by the human body with 10 to 15 minutes of direct sunlight exposure a few times a week; or it can be found in the following foods: butter, cheese, fortified milk and cereal, and margarine. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that adults under 50 years old get 400 to 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day and that adults over the age of 50 get 800 to 1,000 IU. Darker skinned people may need even more.

For more information on heart healthy benefits of vitamin D, visit http://northshore.org

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